Part 36: Chapter 35: EXEC_DESPEDIA

Chapter 35: EXEC_DESPEDIA

Loading Excerpt- Hopes for the Green Land: Collected Writings, J.
We knew Lift 0 had to be in Pastalia somewhere. The Slums were a natural place to start, and before long we found a blocked path. Not that such things are a serious obstacle to someone like me.

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I wonder if we can move this rubble to get there?
Back off!
Wait a sec!
Crap! Get back!

I can't say I saw what was on the other side coming.



This is no good. It's the Divine Army!

I don't even know why those things keep trying.



Hey, Jacqli! You're mean! At least say something before you use Song Magic!
Oh, sorry. I thought we were in a hurry.
Hmm... finding the Divine Army the moment we broke in... We should be more careful from now on.

There was concern we might have to fight our way to the Lift, so we took a brief rest. I'm really not sure why they were so worried back there.



That's too much work. I reject.
Don't be so harsh!
I know how to control my power. Is there any problem?
But it would be difficult to deal with the oncoming enemies right after you use it.
Fine then. I'll cast a spell strong enough to burn down all the surrounding area.
That should get rid of the oncoming enemies too, right?
...You will probably blow up everything, good and bad. Just don't do that.

It was worse than we ever could have imagined.

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Worse than even I expected.

No matter how many we defeated more of the damn things kept coming. Little did we know help was on the way.



Maybe we should back off once and...
We can't! If we run now, the Divine Army will overflow into Old Town!
Grh... Here they come again!
What...!?
???: Lady Luca! Are you okay!?

The I.P.D.s of the slums had come to help us.



You're...
Reiney!
Reine: You remembered me! I'm so happy!
I heard a huge explosion so I came. And then I saw you all fighting...
What's going on here!?
Let's just say we want to get to the entrance over there!
Reyvateil: Alright! We'll take over and handle this area!
Reine: While we're luring them away, sneak past them and move forward!
All of you!
Reine: Lady Luca, Lady Cloche... Everyone, thank you very much for that time.
Reyvateil: You saved our lives.
If Luca didn't treat Reine, all of Old Town might have been destroyed.
And if Lady Cloche hadn't kept us a secret...
Reine: Our happiness would have been shattered...

Needless to say I needed a brief recap.



Wait!
I wanna try to see if I can help these girls!
...What!?
What do you mean!?
It's only a mild symptom, so Dive Therapy...
Dive Therapy!? No, I can't allow that!
Why not!?
It is strictly prohibited by Pastalian Law!
But... this child's life is at stake here!
Luca... in Pastalia, Dive Therapy is unregulated. We should just contain her.
Croix...
I just... I don't want her to end up like Leyka...



I shouldn't have came along... *sigh *



Reine: I felt very happy...
But... I was just pushed over by Luca...
Big Sis: That's okay. If you wanted to report it after, you could have.
But you didn't tell anyone about us.
Even in the position as Holy Maiden, you protected us. That's what we're so happy about...
......
Reine: Now, hurry!
Reyvateil: You gave us our lives!
Big Sis: Now it's our turn to repay our debt!
Thank you... everyone. I won't waste your efforts!
I promise to bring Metafalica to this world, and happiness to all of you!
Now, let's go!
...Thank you. I trust you to support us.
Reine: ...Yes, sir!
......
Alright, let's get this started! If you can use magic, start helping!
Reyvateil: Got it!
Big Sis: Right!



Nattie: Okay!
Reine: Ready!? Gooooo!

Sure enough the Divine Army had been guarding Lift 0, though at the time we weren't sure where they were all coming from.



This...? It looks pretty clean for it being so old.
It's probably being used often for transport of the Divine Army.
At least it's way better than it being old and not able to move.
You're right about that. Okay, let's go.

There was a simply beautiful room in the Gyro Stabilizer, full of Hymn Crystals.

Feinne's Shouts From the Fourth Wall:
This next video has a bunch of dungeon crawling, so skip it if you don't want to watch that.

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These Hymn Crystals are...
As I thought.
These are the crystals to control the Divine Army.
Interesting. So if we download these, we can use them as our puppets?
...Depends on what you want to do. Each crystal is different, depending on the robot's model number.
I see... 205428. Is this the model number?
There isn't one where you can control them all, huh?
Of course not. They wouldn't make such a dangerous Song.
Say a Reyvateil that downloaded the Song decides to rebel. The world would end.
Hehehe, that's true. Since there was a world that was destroyed like that.
I praise the people of Metafalss. Much smarter than those of my home.
...Hey Cro. Jacqli's saying some scary things again.
Don't mind her. Pretend like you didn't hear it.
Damn, the crystal we're looking for isn't here.
...That's too bad.

We found the Hymn Crystal we wanted deeper in the facility, but there was a substantial problem.





We'll be burnt to ash before we can get it.
This itself is such a waste of energy.
One year of this can boil everyone's bathwater for 10 years. We must get rid of this...
There must be an energy source close by. Let's find it.

More than one in fact...

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So this is where they were positioned!
A Divine Beam? ...Is that bad?
It's worse than bad. It's a moving fortress with mass production output...
What! The Divine Army!?
They're mobile fortresses that can keep making Divine Armies all day.
It's a fortress weapon developed before the world's civilization died 700 years ago.
Which means... if these are around, Old Town will always be...
In fear of the Divine Army. They can't escape.
It's not like we had a choice to begin with.
Yeah, that's right!

Nothing ever seem to be easy when you're on the side of justice, and the damn thing just did not want to die.


Wee ki ga echrra solmarta id 1921456.

...Huh!? What just happened?
It activated. What a waste of energy...
1921456...
Jacqli!? What are you saying!?
I don't know. ...It said an ID.
...Huh?
Even if we fight it, it's just going to recover. Let's back away for now.

I figured there might be at least some chance that the Hymn Crystal that controlled the Divine Beam was in the area.



What's wrong, Jacqli?
I was just thinking about something.
Is the Hymn Crystal to control that guy really going to be here?
...Hm, I can't say there isn't a possibility.
But I can't tell at all which one belongs to that Divine Beam.
Hehe, well that'll be easy. We just need to look at each one.
Y-you mean all of these?
Of course... I can't think of another way, can you?
...Well then. Looks like I've gotta help too.

It was only a matter of time.



This is it!
What!?
The Hymn Crystal to control that Divine Beam fortress.
...How do you know that?
I see... when it sent out its distress signal, you were listening closely.
Of course... I usually know what I'm doing.
System Message: Obtained Hymn Crystal Despedia!
So, can you download this Hymn Crystal into me?

There's just no way I'm going to let one of the others take this. Even with what it meant.



Yes, but the world changes.
At first, I thought you were evil-minded at heart, but...
Do you think I'm any different now? Unlike the world, people don't change so easily.
...... Maybe
Was yea ra chs hymnos yor
En chsee fwal fwal yor
Exec drone hymnos Despedia
Enter
Uhm...
MIR_TEIWAZ_ARTONELICO
...MIR_TEIWAZ_ARTONELICO
This feeling... it's so addictive. It's the first time I'm glad to be a Reyvateil.
Looks like it was successful.
Yes, thanks to you.
Now, let's go. I'm excited to see what I can do...

We talked about some things on the way down to the Divine Beam.



Oh, so you are interested in it after all.
...You're not planning on anything stupid are you?
I'm not planning on anything. It would do you no good even if I did.
It would be different if it regulated all the machines at once. But they're all different.
So, I can't do anything even if I wanted to.
Meaning, you would have if you could...



Believe it or not, the fact will not change.
I know that but...
Are you saying that you regret doing that to me?
No, not at all.
Well... If that's the case, I don't really care.
You know, you should be bragging about this.
...Who am I supposed to be bragging about this to?



I guess if you say so, it feels longer than it really has.
True... It's probably because of you, Croix.
We do talk a lot like this.
Yeah... Well I don't want to force it if you don't want to.
Oh, you're not at all.
It's not like I'm yawning to the conversation. I'm having fun.
Oh, really? Well, I'm glad.
If I get bored, I'll just kick you out.
...Is that what you were thinking?
I'm just joking... Wasn't it funny?
I can see you really doing that though...

There's really nothing more wonderful than taking control of a Tower Guardian. Making it an extension of your will...

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Don't push it too far.
I'll keep it down. Hehe! I feel butterflies down my throat.
You mean butterflies in your stomach?
...What a picky guy. I was just playing with the phrase a little.
Let's sing and get this over with.



But my fun got spoiled.



What's wrong, Jacqli?
Someone's controlling it from the inside.
A lot of the commands I'm giving it are getting cancelled immediately.
What? That's impossible. Unless it's being accessed through the Binary Field.
Which means, someone's living in the Binary Field.
...Impossible.
It's not impossible. Have first-hand experience.
What? You used to live in the Binary Field!?
...It's a story of the past. I was trapped there for quite some time.
Looks like we've been talking too long... Let's finish it off!

Boss Battle: Divine Beam HOG and Divine Army x2
Divine Beam is actually a really interesting fight. We're up against the Guardian and two Divine Armies. I'm not sure but I think the Armies with the Divine Beam might have substantially more health than normal. Their attacks are as always easy to block so they're not terribly worth focusing on. Divine Beam then should only be using one attack, Clean Shot. The attack 'should' be easy to block, but you need to correct for the slight lag in animation. This is also the first fight in the game where you have a very real opportunity to activate Synchronity, so let's talk about that instead of this boring ass boss.

If you've ever watched the graphs down in the lower part of the screen, you might have noticed the waveform display. So, every time we fill up the Psych indicator with down-attacks the two waveforms get closer. Eventually the two will merge, which will put us into Synchronity mode as our next Player Phase starts. The first thing we get out of this is access to Level E Songs. This can only happen if we are currently singing a Song with a Level E when the Synchronity Chain activates. Level E songs are amazingly powerful and capable of ending fights in a single shot even without Replakia. This isn't all we get, though. While we're in Synchronity Mode we can act without losing any time, and what's more it seems like every Vanguard gets a free EX attack as well. The Level E song will keep powering up without costing your Reyvateils MP until the Chain ends, at which point it activates automatically. It's not as quick as just trying to smash something in one shot with a huge Replakia'd up song but it's got a lot more style so I'll tend to try use it as much as possible. This video features Jacqli's Glutomy attack, as gained in Level 7-C.

I still kicked its ass. I guess Croix and the others helped. A little.

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...Yes. That's right.
Well, it seems the rumor about the guardian in Old Town was true.
I never thought it would be flowing out of here...
...There's something over there. I'm going to go see what it is.l
Ooh, me too!

Shun had some questions, which is unusual for him.



What?
Are you really just a Reyvateil? You can't be a Third Generation.
I never said I was a Third Generation, I'm a Pureblooded Beta-type.
What!? ...A Beta? The legendary one!?
I'm the last of the Pureblooded Beta-types that were created, oh, about 400 years ago.
In certain areas, I can even surpass the skills of Reyvateil Origins like Frelia.
...Wh-what!? How?
Plus, I destroyed the world once.
But, it was a faraway world, so it doesn't even matter to you guys here.
I'm surprised. This was way beyond my imagination.
...Are you afraid?
Not really. You don't seem like you're going to destroy this world.
You're pretty smart.



Go on, you're being called.
This is the same thing we saw in the underground passage at Dreamy Fields.
Yeah, looks like it. Let me try accessing it.
That should do it. You should be able to get the crystal now.
...Sorry to bother you. You're a big help.
So we had to defeat the Divine Beam to get the crystal anyway?

At least things were easy from that point on.



System Message: Obtained Hymn Crystal Veena!
Now, we can create the tower to the heavens...
We just need to convince the people...
Luca, I'm sorry, but I have a favor to ask you.
Can you sing Veena in place of Frelia?
Huh? Me?
Yes, you.
You're connected to Frelia inside your soul. In a way, you're a part of her.
But she's extremely weakened. Singing itself uses a lot of energy.
I want to conserve her power for creating the tower as much as possible.
Okay, I'll do it!
I've always felt Lady Frelia's presence, since I was a kid.
I didn't know it was Her back then, but now I do.
When I first met Her at the Hill of Metafalica, it was as if I was looking at myself.
Frelia said the same thing.
I see... That's why I'll sing it.
Don't worry. I promise I can create the tower to the heavens...
...I'm counting on you. For the world, too.
I want to make things as easy on Frelia as I can.
Okay, leave it to me!

I seriously thought scenes like the one waiting for us outside only happened in stories. I didn't realize that being 'the good guys' really does mean that people come out of the woodwork to help us.



Reine: I'm so glad you're alright!
Dive Shop Gen: I'm so glad you're all back! Ah, what a celebration!
Mrs. Lahr: I'm so happy you're safe.
W-wait... Why are you both here!? What about your work!?
Mrs. Lahr: What are you saying!?
Dive Shop Gen: We can't just sit around and work during an emergency time like this!
Enna Chairman: Lady Cloche! I hope you're not hurt!
Jean: Lady Cloche! Look look! My leg's all better now!
Jean...!? Why are you here...?
Jean: Why do you think! I'm here to help you.
Grand Bell Knight A: Lady Cloche! Captain! Are you both safe!?
Grand Bell Knight B: Croix, you alright? Must have been tough against so many Divine Armies...
You guys...
No one's given you sortie orders! Why are you taking action on your own!



...You're helpless.
Reine... how did you get all these people?
Reine: Oh, don't underestimate the backalley info network of the Pastalian Slums!
Mrs. Lahr: I heard from the Dive Shop that you guys went into a dangerous place.
Dive Shop Gen: If you ask for help, I'll rush over to you, even with a pot or pan!
...What are you all doing? Your lives are at risk here! This isn't playtime!
Mrs. Lahr: Of course it's not!
The young ones've got their lives on the line! We can't just lounge around!
Oh, by the way, Nana's regained consciousness. She'll be all back to normal soon.
Really!? I'm so glad...
Enna Chairman: Lady Cloche. I'm very sorry about Enna's Governor the other day.
The thought of helping the Holy Maidens has been spreading across Enna.
Auntie: When Lady Cloche saved Jean, we all knew.
You would never want to do anything wrong to us.
Then and now, we can feel that you have no darkness or confusion in your beliefs.
Enna Chairman: That's why we were able to decide we want to help you with everything we've got.
For us? Thank you...



Dive Shop Gen: Everyone felt the end of the world. We all felt we had to do something.
But we also thought, "What can I alone do?" You see?
Enna Chairman: And in the middle of it, you were the ones who stood up.
You knew well that everyone would oppose you, but you were brave, and let us know.
We felt that you were determined to save this world.
Mrs. Lahr: We were moved by you.
...Hehehe.
Grand Bell Knight A: But Captain. Why were you getting rid of guardians again...?
Well, that was just a byproduct, so to speak. We actually went to go find a Hymn Crystal.
Yup. It's an amazing Song that can create a tower that stretches to the heavens!
Jean: Wow! Hey, so who's gonna sing it!?
Well, that's...
......
Jean: Huh? What's wrong? Tell me!
It's... me.
Mrs. Lahr: You're going to sing it!?
Dive Shop Gen: Wow! Our Luca is going to create the tower!
No, it's nothing that great, and...

It seems Luca shares a certain habit with some of my, um, acquaintances from home. Do you get to call people friends when you did technically try to kill them a lot? I should check on that.



Mrs. Lahr: I know you're busy, but come sing for us at the tavern again, okay?
...! Wha-shh, Mrs. Lahr!
Luca, what song...
Dive Shop Gen: Oh, don't you know? Luca's real dream is to become a singer.
It is!?
Oh my Goddess! I was hiding it for the longest time!
Dive Shop Gen: Come now, it's fine.
Mrs. Lahr: You're going to sing the Divine Songs. You'll be the best singer in the world.
Geez, forget it!

It's good to take a break every now and then I suppose.



W-well... I only told a few people I was going to sing at the tavern...
It's not like you had to hide it, though.
Yeah... I know. But at the time, I hated myself for it.
You know we were poor. And so I didn't think it was the time to be going after dreams.
That's why I hated myself for wanting to become a singer.
I even seriously thought at one point... that I wanted to hate songs.
But, I always admired it. Singing songs that were fun, having nothing to do with power.
......
Of course, I like Dive Therapy, too. Because I can heal people.
But I like songs even more, since I can help a lot of people!
...Luca.
Let's sing. I want to hear your song, too.
...What!? B-but... we have to hurry with Metafalica.
Come on. You need to take breaks in between, too.
Yeah, it's because we're in this situation that we all wanna hear your song.
It's because we live in this day and age, that we need songs.
I wanna hear, too! I wanna listen to your songs, Luca.



Everyone... thank you. Is it really okay if I sing?
Of course! So where do you want to sing?
...I want to sing in Rakshek.
Because the people who worried for me even when I wasn't there, are there.
Honestly, I didn't think people thought so much of me.
Once I stopped seeing them, I thought it would be over.
But, everyone... always, no matter how long it had been, would welcome me in.
That's why... I want to thank everyone.
Alrighty then! It's been decided on Rakshek!
Let's head out as soon as we're ready!

Next Time on Ar Tonelico 2: Hartes ciel, melenas walasye